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As long as the leading contenders are US wares it will take long. Hindi pa ba ninyo pansin bakit napakabilis yung mga ibang assets na nabili natin & still impending to buy? They are all non-US made. Coincidence? No.

There is an invisible hand trying to hold us back. As long as we are still enamored to a certain country for our military wares i-dedelay at i-dedelay nila yan.

I think now that the it has been leaked that the dedicated attack helicopters are slated for the Philippine Marines, we should accept the Fennec as light attack helicopter with transport capability for the PAF.

In any case, the Philippines is one of a few countries where attack helicopters are operated by the air force, in most other countries, attack helicopters - especially dedicated attack helicopters are operated by the army and/or marines.

MANILA, Aug. 19 (PNA) — As part of its efforts to improve the capabilities of the naval service, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced that it will be acquiring four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for the Philippine Navy (PN) within the period 2013 to 2017.

Col. Arnulfo M. Burgos, Jr., AFP spokesperson, said the decision to acquire ASW assets for the PN is part of country’s Medium Term Defense Acquisition List for the next four years.

The ASW choppers will be assigned to the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and the soon-to-come BRP Ramon Alcaraz and hopefully to the two “Maestrale” class missile-firing frigates from Italy being eyed by the Department of National Defense (DND) for acquisition by 2013.

Burgos declined to identify the manufacturer of the proposed ASW helicopters but said studies are now undergoing to identify the best and most affordable aircraft for the Philippines.

DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier announced that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will be getting 10 brand-new units of Eurocopter attack choppers to boost its fleet.

He added that this contract is worth P3.2 billion.

Gazmin said that the DND has already presented it to the government policy and procurement board for evaluation.

This was after the defense department recommended acquisition approval for the above-mentioned helicopters.

And should the contract be signed anytime this August, the DND chief said that the first four units will be delivered within the year.

“All these choppers are brandnew and fitted with weapons, navigation and sensor equipment,” Gazmin stressed.

The body of the Eurocopter is made from 80 percent carbon fiber reinforced polymer and kevlar, 11 percent aluminum, and six percent titanium.

The rotors are made from fiber-plastic able to withstand combat damage and bird strikes.Protection against lightning and electromagnetic pulse is ensured by embedded copper/bronze grid and copper bonding foil.

Eurocopter’s armor can withstand 23 mm autocannon fire.

The helicopter can be equipped with a variety of air-to-ground weapons, rockets, and even air-to-air missiles and state-of-the-art sensor and navigation systems. (PNA)

according to the above statement same sila ng specs ng eurocopter tiger!

Design

A closeup of the UHT's possible armamentThe body of the Tiger is made from 80% carbon fibre reinforced polymer and kevlar, 11% aluminium, and 6% titanium. The rotors are made from fiber-plastic able to withstand combat damage and bird strikes. Protection against lightning and electromagnetic pulse is ensured by embedded copper/bronze grid and copper bonding foil.[12]While the Tiger has a conventional helicopter gunship configuration of the two crew sitting in tandem, it is somewhat unusual in that the pilot is in the front seat and the gunner is in the back, unlike all other current attack helicopters. The seats are offset to opposite sides of the centerline to improve the view forward for the gunner in the back.Crews coming to the Tiger from other platforms require additional training because the additional capabilities bring a higher workload.[13]

Protection

The Tiger's armour can withstand 23 mm autocannon fire.[14] The helicopter includes the AN/AAR-60 MILDS System developed by EADS DE. It includes radar warning, laser warning, and a missile launch/approach detector systems and is connected to a central processing unit from Thales and a SAPHIR-M chaff/flare dispenser from MBDA. The Tiger's visual, radar, infrared, sound signatures have been minimised.

The Fennec acquisition is for our light attack helicopter requirement. The ASW helis are different as well as the dedicated attack ones.

But then, who knows? That news article might be a combination of truths and half-truths to confound the opfor of our real intentions. You see, to be predictable in this sort of business (profession) is a big no-no and only invites disaster.

That said, it might be the Fennec AS555 SN naval attack variant or the Mangusta (or Tiger) or both.